Nokia "Black" Update for Windows Phone 8

Users with select Nokia Lumia handsets now have access to a new firmware update called "Black" that updates your device with new capabilities. But what is this mysterious "Black" update, and which phones can already access it?

First arrived with the Lumia 1520. Nokia "Black" first shipped with the Lumia 1520 in November, though if you check for updates on that device now you'll see that it's being updated. So get the update.

Lumia 1020 on AT&T. If you're using a Lumia 1020 on AT&T Wireless now, as I am, you can check for updates: The "Black" firmware update is available on that device now as well.

Other phones? This update will start rolling out to other Nokia Lumia owners around the world in early 2014 as planned, Nokia tells me.

Glance screen improvements. The cool Glance screen—which shows a clock when the device isn't being used—is updated with new Night Mode colors (green and blue, in addition to red) and notification support. I don't see a way to control notifications, however, so it must just use whatever is configured to work with the normal lock screen. (Nokia says it's new emails, missed calls, text messages and more.")

RAW support. "Black" lets you save your photos in RAW format, which may be desirable for professional photographers. To use this, go to Settings in Nokia Camera and choose "JPEG (5 MP) + DNG (34 MP)" under Capture Mode. DNG stands for "Digital NeGative."

Camera improvements. Perhaps answering why I find Lumia 1520 pictures to be slightly better than those taken with the superior Lumia 1020 camera, "Black" also adds new camera algorithms for JPEG processing, white balance and noise reduction. You can now launch Nokia Camera from a PIN-locked lock screen, which was possible previously with the built-in Camera app only.

Bluetooth update. With "Black," the Bluetooth technology on your device is upgraded to Bluetooth 4.0 LE (on supported phones, like the Lumia 1020). For now, this doesn't change any built-in Bluetooth functionality, but that could change in the future. (Update: Nokia says that this support allows consumers to easily sync accessories such as heart rate monitors with their Nokia Lumia to create differentiated experiences with apps like Adidas miCoach.)

Lock Screen Options. Now, you users can opt for either portrait or landscape mode to accommodate even greater customization and personalization.

It means you can force apps to stay in landscape mode or portrait mode so you don't accidentally flip from one to the other while using the device. I'm not one of those who has a problem orienting my device, so this is a useless feature to me...but apparently not everyone is adept at controlling their smartphone orientation.

No, there is a system setting that allows you to select one or the other to be 'fixed'. Some apps only support one or the other won't affect them. Something like Kindle though that can change, can now be locked into portrait so you can lay on your side and still hold the phone 'vertically' relative to you. It is a settings item, screen rotation, so not super efficient to get to, but it's there.

I took six photos on my 1020 with the same settings as before Black: JPEG (5 MP + 34 MP). For some reason the last three photos are showing up as gray squares in camera roll and when I try to open the last photo from within Nokia Camera the photo loads for a second before crashing (it's no longer in the running apps list) and dumping me back in camera roll. Anyone else seeing this behavior? I'm concerned because the Nokia camera has always performed flawlessly but if it's unreliable I'll have dig out my old point-and-shoot.

Yes, I did do a reboot. It's also worth noting that those few photographs didn't automatically upload to the SkyDrive camera roll either. Now it seems to be working. It may be a one-time issue, but I've lost some confidence in the phone's Nokia Camera app. As anyone would expect, if I trust it and then later discover that the photos I took didn't "take" I'm not going to be happy.

It's a combined update. It is GDR3 (Microsoft) and Black (Nokia). For those who were participating in the GDR3 Preview, that's only the Microsoft bits. I had my 920 and 1020 on the GDR3 Preview as well as my wife's 1020. Both of us have now received the full GDR3/Black update, so now I'm still waiting on it to roll for the 920. The update does push a reboot after installation...or at least it did on both of our Lumia 1020 devices.

I don't see much difference except I am now having some issues with a bluetooth speaker and Nokia 1020. The sound seems to be stuttering with my HDMX jam bluetooth speaker. It never did that before. If I hook the wire to it, the stuttering goes away.
I have not tried to see if I have the same issues in my car.

I like the glance screen changes except the font was bigger before and now is harder to see at night without my glasses.

I got my Lumia1020 last Dec 19 and the very first thing I did was to follow your article and update it. So far it's running solid despite the battery life. This thing drains the battery fast! I Anyway, I don't believe Vivo (Brazilian mobile telecom) will release the black update to their Windows phone users anytime soon. So I'm glad I updated my new toy!

What I Use

Like many, I was hoping to see a new Lumia flagship before the end of 2014, and while I was pleasantly surprised in some ways by both the Lumia 735 and 830, neither offers the level of performance or best-in-market camera quality I had come to expected from Microsoft/Nokia's high-end devices. So I pulled the trigger on an unlocked Windows Phone flagship that will hopefully take me through at least the first half of this year. Or until Microsoft gets off its low-end fixation and satisfies the needs of its biggest fans....More

It's been a while since the last What I Use, but there haven't been many major changes since late last year: Surface Pro 3 has become my go-to travel companion, I've added a third cellphone line for testing Windows Phone, Android and iPhone side-by-side, and have rotated through some new tablets and other devices. We've also switched from FIOS to Comcast and added to our set-top box collection....More